NOW ON VOD! Uwe Boll never plays it safe, which is why the world loves Uwe Boll. He crosses lines because they exist, and his latest, Citizen Vigilante, is a movie that dares you to root for a man who is exacting justice in a world that refuses to call the truth the truth.
Sanders (Armie Hammer) is a guy who’s had enough. He’s living in Europe, watching crime go unpunished because the justice system looks the other way, and something in him snaps. He meets a young woman in a hospital who’s just been brutalized by a gang preying on women in the EU. He decides he’s not waiting around for the system to do its job. He’s going to do it himself.
So Sanders starts hunting down anyone responsible. He goes after the rapists, the corrupt officials, and the people who condone such behavior for clicks and likes. But Sanders is not alone. Social media picks up on his actions as they go viral. Instead of demonizing him, Sanders becomes a hero to a public that’s been waiting for someone, anyone, to actually do something.
But not everyone’s cheering him on. Interpol officer Henry (Costas Mandylor) sees a vigilante spiraling out of control, and he starts closing in. It’s here that Sanders becomes part of society, not the criminals he’s killing. The battle between the law, the lawless, and the vigilantes gets ugly and fast.
We are in such a divided world between left and right that one could make the case that Citizen Vigilante is the right’s version of One Battle After Another, and I mean that as a compliment. Whatever side you’re on, you’re going to see one film as offensive and the other as great… and I’m sure to hear about it in the comments. The universal truth is that if it’s a Uwe Boll movie, some group will find it offensive and want it banned, rather than ask, “What if he’s right?”
“Instead of demonizing him, Sanders becomes a hero to a public that’s been waiting for someone, anyone, to actually do something.”
Of all of Uwe Boll’s films, this one feels like the most “ripped from the headlines” story. The news and politicians want you to believe the issues with immigration in the EU…and the Western world just simply doesn’t exist. Boll refuses to succumb to the gaslighting and presents a world as it exists IRL. Is the film racist? Only if truth is racist. Be honest. If Sanders was going after Nazis and white supremacists, you’d (the progressive) have no problems with the film, and you’d be begging to get Uwe his first Oscar.
As a film, it’s over-the-top violent…no doubt. Armie brings a lot of his movie star talent to the role and outshines his supporting cast. Sanders is a bit too stoic for my taste. I’m hoping there’s more nuance to him in future films. I also get that this is a low-budget production because most of the action takes place in broad daylight. To me, nighttime brings more weight to what we’re seeing on screen.
But here’s where I have to pull back. As the film goes on, Sanders starts doing things that, in my humble opinion, cross a line—and I don’t think even Death Wish went this far. Look, I get it from a storytelling perspective. I understand the catharsis of watching someone finally do something when the system won’t. But as a human being, I can’t fully condone what Sanders becomes by the end. The movie raises the actions and then just… doesn’t address the cost of them. That’s my hesitation. The body count is high, and many of those deaths did not match what they did…not even close. I’ll leave it there for spoiler reasons.
I’m willing to go along with it for now, but only if there’s a day of reckoning down the line, i.e., the sequel. To me, chapter two must hold Sanders accountable for his actions against the guilty and the slightly guilty. Grey is the color of Sanders’ morality. More importantly, will those in power finally open their eyes to the truth?
Citizen Vigilante understands exactly what it’s tapping into, even when it pushes further than most filmmakers would dare. Take my advice: see this one, and expect to feel conflicted about it, because that’s the point. We need to talk about what’s going on in the world loudly instead of burying it and canceling those who speak out. I’m not saying I agree with everything Sanders does. I’m saying a movie willing to be this controversial deserves to be seen and argued over, rather than pushed aside as the rantings of a lunatic.
